Feed-water regulator.



Patented lune 25, 190i.

M. DEAN.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 13, 1900.) (N o M u d e l lie UNITED STATESPATENT Orrrcn.

MARK DEAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOSTON STEAMSPECIALTY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 677,182, dated June 25,1901.

Application filed December 13, 1900. Serial No. 39,673. (No mbdel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, MARK DEAN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Feed-Tater Regulators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to regulators for antomatically controlling thefeed-water supply of a steam-boiler.

It consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement insuch regulators, which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional view,withparts in elevation, showing a regulator constructed in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 represents a detail sectional view hereinafterreferred to.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in both thefigures.

In my improved regulator I rely upon the difference in temperature ofthe boiler-water and steam to control an expansible chamber, which inturn operates a valve in the feedwater pipe or other suitable device forcontrolling the entrance of feed-water into the boiler.

In the drawings, 1 represents a part of a boiler, 2 represents thefeed-pipe for supply ing water to the boiler, (the connection betweensaid pipe and the boiler not being shown,) and 3 represents a valve ofthe balanced type controlling said feed-pipe.

4 is a diaphragm having a chamber5 above it, which I term an expansiblechamber, inasmuch as its capacity is varied by the movement of thediaphragm. The depression of diaphragm 4 tends to open the valve 3, andthe closure of said valve is effected by means of a spring 6, actingupwardly on the valve-stem.

7 is an auxiliary valve-controlling lever, which may be operated by handand is adapted to be held down by a latch 25, engaging a notch 26 on thelever, so as to hold the valve in open position.

8 is a casing having rigid top and bottom walls 9 10 and a rigidpartition 11, dividing the interior of the casing into a lower chamber12, which I term the water and steam chamber, and an upper chamber 13,which I term the liquid-chamber. The lower chamber 12 is located at ornear the average water-level in the boiler 1 and is connected byconduits 14 15 with the water and steam spaces of' the boiler,respectively. Fig. 2 is a detail section taken at right angles to Fig.1, showing the connection of the water-conduit 14 with the chamber 12.As the water-level in the boiler changes, the chamber 12 will be filledalternately with water and steam, or both, and the temperaturecommunicated to the liquid-chamber 13 through the partition 11 willaccordingly vary. When water enters the chamber 12, the tempera ture ofthe chamber 13 will fall, and when steam enters chamber 12 thetemperature of chamber 13 will rise. I prefer to make the lower wall 10of the steam and water chamber relatively thin, as shown, in order totake advantage of the cooling effect of the atmosphere in cooling thecontents of said chamber after the steam has left it. Theliquid-chamber13 is connected with the expansible chamber 5 by a conduit 16, whoseinlet end 17 is located within the liquid-chamber 13, near the bottom ofthe latter. The upper part of said chamber 13 forms a closed pocket. Asuitable liquid, such as water, introduced through an opening in theconduit 16, closed by a plug 18, fills the expansible chamber 5 andconduit 16 and the lower part of the liquid-chamber 13, said liquidcovering the inlet end 17 of conduit 16. The pocket-space in the upperpart of the chamber 13 is designed to be left empty or filled with air.Supposing now that the water-level in the boiler has fallen, so that thechamber 12 is filled with steam, the heat of said steam raises thetemperature of the water in chamber 13 and its connections to or abovethe boiling-point, and steam forms in the upper part of said chamber orthe air therein becomes heated, so as to exert a downward pressure onthe water, which tends to force it through conduit 16 into the chamber5,

thereby depressing the diaphragm 4 and opening the feed-valve 3, so asto permita supply of feed-water to enter the boiler. The entering waterraises the water-level in the'bpiler, and water is substituted for steamin the chamber 12. The temperature of the liquid in chamber 13 falls,and condensation of the steam or cooling of the air above it ensues, andthe atmospheric pressure below diaphragm 4 raises said diaphragm andpermits spring 6 to close the valve 3 and shut off the supply offeed-water. The operation continues automatically.

The expansible chamber 5 is shown as located below the level of chamber13, so that if any circulation occurs between said chambers the coolerliquid will seek the lower level of chamber 5.

The conduit 14, connecting the water-space of the boiler 1 with thewater and steam chamber 12, is trapped at 19 to avoid a circulationthrough said conduit. 20 represents a cooler interposed in said conduitbetween the boiler 1 and chamber 12 with the object of cooling theboiler-Water before it reaches chamber 12, and thus establishing asgreat a difference as possible between the temperature of the water andthe temperature of the steam entering the chamber 12. The cooler, asshown, comprises an outer casing 21, elongated vertically and connectedat its lower end with the part of conduit 14 toward the boiler, and apipe or conduit 22, entering the upper end of casing 21 and having aninlet 23 in the lower portion of said casing. The water in the casing 21is cooled by reason of the amount of surface which it offers to theatmosphere, and the cooler water tends to fall in said casing, while thewarmer water rises. The conduit 22 draws from the cooler water in thelower part of the casing.

2% is a small orifice in the wall of pipe 22, forming a lateral passagebetween said pipe and the extreme upper end of the casing 21, the objectof said contracted passage being to avoid the formation of an air-pocketin the upper portion of the casing, its size being too small tomaterially affect the water circulation.

It is obvious that any suitable means other than the balanced valve 3may be employed for controlling the fioW of feed-Wateras, for instance,a different form of water-controlling valve or a valve controlling thesteamsupply of a steampumpthe particular method of control beingimmaterial to myin-- vention.

1 claim 1. In a feedwater regulator, the combination with the boiler, ofa water and steam chamber having connection with the Water and steamspaces of the boiler, a feed-controlling member operated by changes intemperature in said water and steam chamber, and a cooling-chamberinterposed in the water connection from the water-space of the boiler tothe Water and steam chamber, said cooling-chamber comprising a casingconnected with the boiler, and a conduit connected with the water andsteam chamber and having an inlet in the lower portion of said casing.

2. In afeed-water regulator, the combination with the boiler, of a waterand steam chamber having connection with the water and steam spaces ofthe boiler, a feed-controlling member operated by changes in temperaturein said water and steam chamber, and a cooling-chamber interposed in thewater connection from the water-space of the boiler to the water andsteam chamber, said cooling-chamber comprising a casing connectedwiththe boiler, a conduit connected with the water and steam chamber andhaving an inlet in the lower portion of said casin g, and a contractedlateral passage connecting the upper portion of the casing with theconduit above the latters inlet.

3. In a feed-Water regulator, the combination with the boiler, of anexpansible chamber controlling the boiler-feed, a Water and steamchamber having connection with the water and steam spaces of the boiler,and a liquid-chamber adjacent to the water and steam chamber andconnected with the expansible chamber by a conduit having an inlet belowthe top of said liquid-chamber, the upper portion of said liquid-chamberforming a closed pocket, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

MARK DEAN. lVitn esses:

P. W. PEZZETTI, A. D. HARRISON.

